KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. — If you are going to cruise Key Biscayne, Fla., you might as well do it in a 2017 Mercedes-Benz AMG SL65 Roadster, right? Right. Normally I wouldn’t evaluate a car with which I had only spent 30 minutes; but because it was and will probably be my only opportunity to pilot this $217,000-plus roadster, I’ll go with it. I am an opportunist at heart.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — For the most part, minivans live out their existence lonely and unloved, with owners who are all too self-conscious of and embarrassment associated with driving one. To be sure, the minivan is not an aspirational vehicle. Nope. They are strictly life-stage vehicles, ready to fill the void between the third-trimester and the age when the kids no longer want to be seen with their parents — especially in a minivan at Wal-Mart.

SAN DIEGO — You only need to look around you and it's easy to see that the compact crossover SUV, or CUV as many like to call it, has become one of the most popular type of vehicle on the road. It's not surprising perhaps as these car-based SUVs are more like a car — dare we say it, they are more akin to a hatchback or small station wagon — than they are a traditional truck-based SUV.

SAN DIEGO — I want to be perfectly clear: As much as automakers want you to believe that their particular brand and models are special and years ahead of the competition, the truth is, most all of them have state-of-the-art design, tech centers that employ essentially the same functions, close to the same horsepower and same fuel economy at about the same price. Virtually, they are the same cars with different logos emblazoned on the grille and rear deck lid.